GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Evening Star, Issue 3590, 25 August 1874, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

[By Telegraph.] Wellington, August 24. In the House of .Representatives this afternoon, Mr Reynolds laid a report on the table regarding lighthouses, which was ordered to be printed. The substance of the report was that new lighthouses were being erected as follow At Gape Maria Van Diemen ;on the East Cape ; on The Brothers in Cooks’ straits, which was expected to do away with the Mana one ; in Banks’s Straits, between Akaroa and Timaru ; one at Moeraki ; one in Poveaux Straits ; one on Rabbit Is’ land, which would render unnecessary that on u og Island; one at Cape Farewell; and another at Cape Foulwiud was expected not t-> be delayed much long»r, as every mail was looked for to bring the news that it was finished ; also that Captain Edwin was expected to be able before next session to pertect a system of storm signals, so as to give warning several hours in advance to mariners in open roadsteads, such asOamaru, Timaru, aud JNew Plymouth, of approaching bad weather, aud thus enable them to get to sea in time. Mr O’Neill moved, “That the report of the trial made at the Royal Mint, Sydney, of New Z aland woods, by K. W. Ward,’ Captain of Royal En*in,ers, dated December 20, 1856, be printed.” Agreed to Sir Cracroft Wilson asked what truth there was ia the statement that the steamer Tartar -had been with great difficulty liberated from bands of the bailiffs. The Premier said th§ Tartar would have nothing to do with the contract. It was true she was detained for sevaseveral days at San Francisco while negotiations were going on between the AgentGeneral and the agent of the service, and until arrangements were made by which the l&rtar was a lowed to come on with the mail, Hfc could ipfprm the House that if mails were sent from Wellington the Government would take oare that they would leave San Francisco. There was every reason to believe that arrangements would be made with the builders of new boats for the carrying out of the contract. As far as New Zealand was concerned, the Government had discouraged any renewal of the temporary contract, and had telegraphed to the, Agent-General to have all mails sent by the suejt route tjufcil satisfactory arrangemeuts are made. I

la reply to Mr Stafford, regarding the resiguatjau of the Governor, Mr Vogel said he might say that hia Excellency had not resigned through any dislike to the Governorship of the Coiouy, or to the arrang meats. Hia reason simply was that he wished to reauraeja more active life at Home than pertained to the Governorship of a Colony. Mr T. L. Shepherd obtained leave to introduce a bill to borrow L 3,000, for the purpose of ts'ablishing waterworks at Clyde, t’he Bill was read a first time. Mr Williams mfQved for a committee of the House to consider the of presenting an address to the Governor, requesting him to place a sum on the Estimates to defray the expenses which Messrs Von Stumer, Williams, Horne, and Jervis were subjected to as Justices of the Peace. The hon. gentleman went into the whole facts of the case, to show the great hardship and injustice to which these men were subjected in the performance of their duties as J.P.’s. —Mr Reynolds admitted a tolerable case bad been made out by the mover, but J»o considered the fault was their own in not being gmcied by the law of the Col 003'. He declined tp interfere; on the grounds that it would, encourage a great deal of carelessness on the part of the Justices of the Peace of the whole Colony -—Mr Luckie supported the claim. The Commissioner of Customs should not talk of estabishmg a precedent, as one was established m ißol. Ihe Premier said this matter had already come before the House again and again, and he thought it most unjustifiable to bring it up after decisions had been already given, without adducing any fresh evidence. These kind of appeals were becoming too common, and it was necessary to discourage such coustaut claims for comuensatftm. AIL persons had to do now was to he persistent enough, to get 41 • /

what they wanted. —Mr R-ader Wood was familiar with the case of Messrs Jervis and Horne, and was prepared to say it was one of great hardships j and if it was t rue that the case was twice before a commit'Ceof the House, it was no reason that that Louse itself should not have the opportunity of deciding upon the matter now. if the -oYernment did not protect unpaid Magis* racy from the effect of almost unavoidable clerical errors-( i Voice: “ They would not 8 M®’ Voice 5 “ A * ood Mr T. L. Kelly, who was chairman of t.ie committee, considered the case was a very hard one.-Mr Fox also warmly defended the claim, a* one eminently deserving re-consideratiou, and especially so in the case of Messrs Yen stunner and Williams.—Mr T. L. Shepherd oppose! the claim. He was opposed to the system of unpaid Magistrates, who were too much in the habit of signing warrants and other important legal documents without even looking at them to ascertain whether the document was properly made out.—Mr Bucklaad said the Justices of the Peace acted under the instructions of the Government prosecutor, who instructed the case. The Government had paid the cost of defending a salaried . .ficer in a similar case, and abs lately defrayed the cost of putting him through the Bankruptcy Court afterward*.—Mr Oreighton said those J. P.’s committed 4 QtSS under an Act which gave them no power to do so.—Mr Swanson opposed the motion. If these unpaid officials were to bo paid for their mistakes, who were to pay the people who suffere I by their mistakes? it appeared to him that those people who run after the honor of J. P. so much ought to be made to suffer for their upstages. He trusted, if tfya House did do anything, it would act upon the recommendaUQn of the select committee.—Sir Donald M'Lean said the Government felt bound to at ach weight to the report of two select committees, and set their faces against this growing practice <>f coming to Parliament for compensation.— Mr Fitzherbert considered enough had been said to show the case was a hard one and deserving of the consideration of Government.—Mr Brandon supported the mo; tion. —Mr Bryce deprecated thp Hoqse deciding a case without evidence, that had been decided already by a select committee, who had taken the evidence into consideratiou. People who are so for the honor of J.P. should accept the" respond bilitus of the position,—A division was called for, with the following result; For the motion, 40 ; against. 21.—The Premier suggested that the motion be amended so as to mane it read that the Government should causa a Court of inquiry to be made into the claims of Messrs You Stunner, Williams, Horne, and Jervis, and to repqrt the same to the House next session. The Premier said % that to carry out the resolution in its original form would cover the House with ridicule.—The amendment was agreed to without opposition. ( he Legislative Council refused the applicgtion of the Ward-Chapman ,: Joint Committee for a General Commission to follow up the inquiry into the case. 3 A considerable debate took plage on Mr Johnston’s motion that an address be preseniei to the Governor, together with the reports of the committee on the Ward-Chap? man inquiry, and the evidence by it. requesting a full investigation by a Moyal Commission, Should the Governor he fnais. posed to accede tp the prayer of the address, he be requested to place the reports and evidence in the custody of the Speaker.—Dp Pollen said the Government would itself make further inquiry into the Oatnaru tele-graph-office affair, and were not disposed to shirk any responsibility in connection with that. —The motion was negatived by 17 to 14. Any further action was postponed until it was seen what course the other House took in the matter. The reading of the Otago Land Administration Bill was agreed to. On the Goldfields Amendment Bill, Mr Holmes tried to throw it out, but without success, the second reading being carried, by 18 against 7. J The Nelson Waterworks Loan Bill was shelved by 15 against 8. The Tarauaai Volunteer Land Act was thrown out on the voices. On recommittal of the Licensing Bill, the bonus motion was struck out. Clause 13 was negatived, by retention of barmaids : hours from 10 to 10, carried by 13 to 12